What do you think?
Rate this book
Witches of London #3
Shadows Watching
Some houses have past lives, too.
A year has passed since Tom Welsh and Sanders Templeton met. They’ve almost settled into their new home, a historic chateau at the foot of the Swiss Alps, and finally get to spend more time together in peace and quiet … or that was the idea.
Instead, something’s wrong. It’s not just recurring nightmares that haunt both men—other strange disturbances surround them, from their cat jumping at shadows in empty rooms, to unexplained sounds in the night.
Matters go from unsettling to scary, so they call on Lee, who helped them through a series of past life regressions. Lee has friends who might be able to assist; although bubbly and sweet Sue doesn’t fit the cliché of “witch”. What seemed a simple question of a haunted house soon dredges up even personal skeletons that Tom and Sanders thought were safely tucked away—and turns into much more than a ghost hunt.
Shadows Watching is part of the Witches of London series and a direct sequel to Eagle’s Shadow.
A year has passed since Tom Welsh and Sanders Templeton met. They’ve almost settled into their new home, a historic chateau at the foot of the Swiss Alps, and finally get to spend more time together in peace and quiet … or that was the idea.
Instead, something’s wrong. It’s not just recurring nightmares that haunt both men—other strange disturbances surround them, from their cat jumping at shadows in empty rooms, to unexplained sounds in the night.
Matters go from unsettling to scary, so they call on Lee, who helped them through a series of past life regressions. Lee has friends who might be able to assist; although bubbly and sweet Sue doesn’t fit the cliché of “witch”. What seemed a simple question of a haunted house soon dredges up even personal skeletons that Tom and Sanders thought were safely tucked away—and turns into much more than a ghost hunt.
Shadows Watching is part of the Witches of London series and a direct sequel to Eagle’s Shadow.
308 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 30, 2017
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
July 31, 2017
4.5 stars for this fabulous next installment. This is a great series, very well written and clearly well researched. This book continues on with Tom & Sanders relationship. After previous past life regressions, Tom & Sanders move to Switzerland to find peace and enjoy the next stage of their lives. Of course nothing is that easy and the men find out the home they live in was once a WW1 holding station - a safe haven from the war, but one the soldiers couldn't leave. The story unfolds as the spirits work to get Tom & Saunders attention. A haunted home, help from witches and a journey into understanding themselves a little better. I loved the richness and compassion of this book ....A really great series
February 13, 2021
Shadows Watching (Witches of London 3)
By Aleksandr Voinov and Jordan Taylor
Published by the authors, 2017
Five stars
By the end of this book I was in tears, but I’m not sure I can explain exactly why. The third in a series of what amount to stand-alone stories that have Venn-diagram overlaps, “Shadows Watching” follows up with the relationship between Tom Welsh, an independent American financial journalist, and Sanders Templeton, an aristocratic English financier based in London.
The two men have moved to a luxurious manor house nestled in the Alps outside of Geneva, in an oddly prescient move to avoid the growing Brexit turmoil in the UK. The house was remodeled in the 1920s from an old mountain inn, and its physical presence is an important part of the story (something I appreciate greatly and do myself in my own fiction). But there’s more to it in this case. From the very start in their idyllic new home, both Tom and Sanders have been having nightmares they can’t explain. Moreover, they’ve noticed a distinct pattern of what they call “mousetraps” with their new kitten, named London. Normally affectionate and easygoing, she will get suddenly spooked and behave as if the devil itself were after her.
When Tim finally gets so rattled that they call their friend Lars in London, he recommends that a friend from his coven, Sue, come visit them and see what’s up. What follows after this is a strangely low-key, emotionally charged and (of course) spiritually assisted voyage of discovery. Their opulent manor-house-cum-inn holds a fascinating secret that would be terrifying if not for Sue’s gentle, loving understanding of the unseen world around them.
The larger, more subtle, surprise here is the exploration of Tom and Sanders’s relationship through their reactions to the peculiar situation in which they find themselves. We are reminded early on in the book of the unequal balance of their relationship—Sanders being rich and aristocratic, even though both he and Tom are quite famous in the world of finance. The increasingly weird history of the house, which Sue helps coax into the light, culminates in a sort of extended epistolary flashback, that is by turns appalling and heartbreaking.
Once more, as was the case with the second book in this series, I was really moved by the conversations around past-life regressions and restless ghosts, even though I don’t pretend to be any kind of believer. Maybe it’s just that, in this odd world of isolation and pandemic of 2021, this 2017 novel seems to strike many chords with a reader such as I.
Although it is a ghost story, the story itself moves past the spiritual and settles, ultimately, in the personal, in the struggle of two men to really see each other and understand the importance and depth of their love for each other. Given that this is supposedly a romance, you’d think that would be obvious; but the fact that it isn’t suggests why this book was so powerful for me.
By Aleksandr Voinov and Jordan Taylor
Published by the authors, 2017
Five stars
By the end of this book I was in tears, but I’m not sure I can explain exactly why. The third in a series of what amount to stand-alone stories that have Venn-diagram overlaps, “Shadows Watching” follows up with the relationship between Tom Welsh, an independent American financial journalist, and Sanders Templeton, an aristocratic English financier based in London.
The two men have moved to a luxurious manor house nestled in the Alps outside of Geneva, in an oddly prescient move to avoid the growing Brexit turmoil in the UK. The house was remodeled in the 1920s from an old mountain inn, and its physical presence is an important part of the story (something I appreciate greatly and do myself in my own fiction). But there’s more to it in this case. From the very start in their idyllic new home, both Tom and Sanders have been having nightmares they can’t explain. Moreover, they’ve noticed a distinct pattern of what they call “mousetraps” with their new kitten, named London. Normally affectionate and easygoing, she will get suddenly spooked and behave as if the devil itself were after her.
When Tim finally gets so rattled that they call their friend Lars in London, he recommends that a friend from his coven, Sue, come visit them and see what’s up. What follows after this is a strangely low-key, emotionally charged and (of course) spiritually assisted voyage of discovery. Their opulent manor-house-cum-inn holds a fascinating secret that would be terrifying if not for Sue’s gentle, loving understanding of the unseen world around them.
The larger, more subtle, surprise here is the exploration of Tom and Sanders’s relationship through their reactions to the peculiar situation in which they find themselves. We are reminded early on in the book of the unequal balance of their relationship—Sanders being rich and aristocratic, even though both he and Tom are quite famous in the world of finance. The increasingly weird history of the house, which Sue helps coax into the light, culminates in a sort of extended epistolary flashback, that is by turns appalling and heartbreaking.
Once more, as was the case with the second book in this series, I was really moved by the conversations around past-life regressions and restless ghosts, even though I don’t pretend to be any kind of believer. Maybe it’s just that, in this odd world of isolation and pandemic of 2021, this 2017 novel seems to strike many chords with a reader such as I.
Although it is a ghost story, the story itself moves past the spiritual and settles, ultimately, in the personal, in the struggle of two men to really see each other and understand the importance and depth of their love for each other. Given that this is supposedly a romance, you’d think that would be obvious; but the fact that it isn’t suggests why this book was so powerful for me.
August 25, 2017
Darum geht’s:
Tom und Sanders haben sich ein Anwesen in der Schweiz gekauft und leben seit ein paar Monaten dort. Das historische Gebäude war früher ein Gasthaus, aber wirklich viel wissen die beiden über die Geschichte ihres neuen Zuhauses nicht. Als ihre junge Katze anfängt, sich seltsam zu benehmen und auch Tom merkwürdige Dinge wahrnimmt, wird das aber plötzlich wichtig, denn besonders Tom fühlt sich nicht mehr wohl dort. Da ihr Freund Lee ihnen schon früher mit unerklärlichen Dingen helfen konnte, nehmen sie Kontakt mit ihm auf. Und Lee weiß auch, wer helfen kann – er schickt Sue, die eine Idee hat und auch ein paar Sachen in ihrem großen Koffer mitbringt, die das Geheimnis lüften sollen.
So fand ich’s:
Wie sich Tom und Sanders gefunden haben und mit welchen Problemen sie zu kämpfen hatten, kann man in dem „Witches of London“-Band mit dem Titel „Eagle’s Shadow“ erfahren. Man muss ihn nicht unbedingt gelesen haben, um „Shadows Watching“ zu verstehen, aber weil die Bücher zeitlich nacheinander spielen und die beiden Männer sich weiter entwickelt haben, empfehle ich schon, die Reihenfolge einzuhalten.
Diesmal werden Tom und Sanders mit unerklärlichen Phänomenen konfrontiert, die dazu führen, dass die Hexe Sue zu Besuch kommt. Besonders Tom ist zuerst abweisend und möchte sich mit dieser ganzen leidigen Angelegenheit am liebsten gar nicht beschäftigen. Doch die Methode, einfach alles wegzuschieben, funktioniert hier nicht, denn es scheint, dass jemand etwas zu sagen hat, der sich nicht den Mund verbieten lässt. Und so müssen sich die beiden rationalen Finanzmenschen mit Dingen auseinandersetzen, die sie sich nicht erklären können.
Das Aufeinanderprallen der nüchternen Finanzwelt und einiger Personen, die Übersinnlichem und Unerklärlichem weitaus aufgeschlossener gegenüberstehen, war stellenweise zum Schmunzeln. Die Rolle der kleinen Hauskatze hat mir besonders gut gefallen – vor allem, als sie jemanden bekam, der für sie spricht. Der Grundton der Geschichte war geheimnisvoll und stellenweise auch ein bisschen unheimlich und mysteriös, verbunden mit einer tragischen Geschichte in der Vergangenheit, die Tom und Sanders auch im heute wertvolle Erkenntnisse bringt.
Diese dicht gewebte und wundervoll erzählte Geschichte hat mich wieder voll und ganz überzeugt.
Tom und Sanders haben sich ein Anwesen in der Schweiz gekauft und leben seit ein paar Monaten dort. Das historische Gebäude war früher ein Gasthaus, aber wirklich viel wissen die beiden über die Geschichte ihres neuen Zuhauses nicht. Als ihre junge Katze anfängt, sich seltsam zu benehmen und auch Tom merkwürdige Dinge wahrnimmt, wird das aber plötzlich wichtig, denn besonders Tom fühlt sich nicht mehr wohl dort. Da ihr Freund Lee ihnen schon früher mit unerklärlichen Dingen helfen konnte, nehmen sie Kontakt mit ihm auf. Und Lee weiß auch, wer helfen kann – er schickt Sue, die eine Idee hat und auch ein paar Sachen in ihrem großen Koffer mitbringt, die das Geheimnis lüften sollen.
So fand ich’s:
Wie sich Tom und Sanders gefunden haben und mit welchen Problemen sie zu kämpfen hatten, kann man in dem „Witches of London“-Band mit dem Titel „Eagle’s Shadow“ erfahren. Man muss ihn nicht unbedingt gelesen haben, um „Shadows Watching“ zu verstehen, aber weil die Bücher zeitlich nacheinander spielen und die beiden Männer sich weiter entwickelt haben, empfehle ich schon, die Reihenfolge einzuhalten.
Diesmal werden Tom und Sanders mit unerklärlichen Phänomenen konfrontiert, die dazu führen, dass die Hexe Sue zu Besuch kommt. Besonders Tom ist zuerst abweisend und möchte sich mit dieser ganzen leidigen Angelegenheit am liebsten gar nicht beschäftigen. Doch die Methode, einfach alles wegzuschieben, funktioniert hier nicht, denn es scheint, dass jemand etwas zu sagen hat, der sich nicht den Mund verbieten lässt. Und so müssen sich die beiden rationalen Finanzmenschen mit Dingen auseinandersetzen, die sie sich nicht erklären können.
Das Aufeinanderprallen der nüchternen Finanzwelt und einiger Personen, die Übersinnlichem und Unerklärlichem weitaus aufgeschlossener gegenüberstehen, war stellenweise zum Schmunzeln. Die Rolle der kleinen Hauskatze hat mir besonders gut gefallen – vor allem, als sie jemanden bekam, der für sie spricht. Der Grundton der Geschichte war geheimnisvoll und stellenweise auch ein bisschen unheimlich und mysteriös, verbunden mit einer tragischen Geschichte in der Vergangenheit, die Tom und Sanders auch im heute wertvolle Erkenntnisse bringt.
Diese dicht gewebte und wundervoll erzählte Geschichte hat mich wieder voll und ganz überzeugt.
June 10, 2018
Hm, what did I read here?
Suppose first of all it's a ghost story i.e. discovering that your new house is haunted, some minor apparitions, getting a little panic, calling for help and don't get rid of the ghosts until you help them to close their case. Sometimes it got a bit esoteric for my taste (even the part with the animal communicator via Skype which I didn't want to have missed because it was fun) but overall that was a nice part. Only complaint: Deane. Felt like he was abandoned by the authors after his death like he was left alone by his comrades on his last month living.
Then it was also a sequel of the previous books in the series because we meet a lot of the guys again. Mainly Sanders and Tom because it's their house that is haunted but also Sue from book one who was sent by Lee for the exorcism (she wouldn't approve of that word). We even get Lars and Rhys and Amanda supporting Sue. I had looked forword to that part but unfortunately it was alos that part which was a disappointment for me and that disappointment has a name: Tom. He was a jerk, behaved like a self-centered 8 year old, took Sanders for granted while developping a platonic crush on Sue, apologized eventually but only half hearted because he didn't really know what he did wrong and managed to move most of the blame for the main miscommunication issue (yeah, there was one of those again) to Sanders because it was oh so obvious that he by no way was able to propose. Jerk.
Then there was that part after they discovered the reason for the haunting, those chapter going back in time. That part told as a reading of journals was beautiful and I could easily picture a story only about that time and what happened there. Here was the romance I missed in the other parts of the book, here was the longing, the despair, the feelings, the atmosphere that makes it so easy to enjoy even an ending that is far from happy. That part was what saved the story from being a disappointment.
Hope I will enjoy the next part of the series again like I did on the first two.
Suppose first of all it's a ghost story i.e. discovering that your new house is haunted, some minor apparitions, getting a little panic, calling for help and don't get rid of the ghosts until you help them to close their case. Sometimes it got a bit esoteric for my taste (even the part with the animal communicator via Skype which I didn't want to have missed because it was fun) but overall that was a nice part. Only complaint: Deane. Felt like he was abandoned by the authors after his death like he was left alone by his comrades on his last month living.
Then it was also a sequel of the previous books in the series because we meet a lot of the guys again. Mainly Sanders and Tom because it's their house that is haunted but also Sue from book one who was sent by Lee for the exorcism (she wouldn't approve of that word). We even get Lars and Rhys and Amanda supporting Sue. I had looked forword to that part but unfortunately it was alos that part which was a disappointment for me and that disappointment has a name: Tom. He was a jerk, behaved like a self-centered 8 year old, took Sanders for granted while developping a platonic crush on Sue, apologized eventually but only half hearted because he didn't really know what he did wrong and managed to move most of the blame for the main miscommunication issue (yeah, there was one of those again) to Sanders because it was oh so obvious that he by no way was able to propose. Jerk.
Then there was that part after they discovered the reason for the haunting, those chapter going back in time. That part told as a reading of journals was beautiful and I could easily picture a story only about that time and what happened there. Here was the romance I missed in the other parts of the book, here was the longing, the despair, the feelings, the atmosphere that makes it so easy to enjoy even an ending that is far from happy. That part was what saved the story from being a disappointment.
Hope I will enjoy the next part of the series again like I did on the first two.
December 25, 2022
Huh. Another one.
Past lives, cold lovers, no talk.
The series is done.
Past lives, cold lovers, no talk.
The series is done.
April 29, 2021
I think the major reasons I feel disappointed with this book is because I built expectations too high and too personal because I really love the first book. I did not expect the whole book is a case study of a haunted house with psychic methodology details.
As I just started reading about Sanders' doubt, I talked about how I expect their interaction to evolve with a friend. What I imagined was that despite the solution in the last book, the couple still held some emotional trauma (and hence the nightmares), and both were having problems with proceeding in in-depth connection. But no, at the end of the book I realized the whole problem was much, much simpler than I imagined and barely need any effort to fix.
As I just started reading about Sanders' doubt, I talked about how I expect their interaction to evolve with a friend. What I imagined was that despite the solution in the last book, the couple still held some emotional trauma (and hence the nightmares), and both were having problems with proceeding in in-depth connection. But no, at the end of the book I realized the whole problem was much, much simpler than I imagined and barely need any effort to fix.
April 14, 2022
Omg did this book need a solid developmental edit. We dilly dally about waiting for something to happen for ages and ages. Then it does, but immediately afterward we’re taken down a lonnnnng side story in multiple other people’s lives/words. 95% of which could have been cut. Finally we pop out the other side in present day and have multiple, long, run-on epilogues which are about the couple introduced in the prior book and not about the actual main plot of this book.
It’s a mess.
Also, many times the lead characters behaved or thought in ways that were just plain selfish and dislikeable.
It’s a mess.
Also, many times the lead characters behaved or thought in ways that were just plain selfish and dislikeable.
August 4, 2025
The middle of this book is close to perfect
This author always surprises me. With this historical (sort of) adventure, romance , super natural, holy cow we hit so many genres, he has done it again. The first half of the book is slow. Yes, I'm sorry, but it is. Hang in there through because the pay off is coming. The last half of the book is worth every page.
The best writers can transport you mind, body and soul into a different world. He does that and more. Oh and added bonus while gripping the edge of your seat you will learn somethings about WW 1.
This author always surprises me. With this historical (sort of) adventure, romance , super natural, holy cow we hit so many genres, he has done it again. The first half of the book is slow. Yes, I'm sorry, but it is. Hang in there through because the pay off is coming. The last half of the book is worth every page.
The best writers can transport you mind, body and soul into a different world. He does that and more. Oh and added bonus while gripping the edge of your seat you will learn somethings about WW 1.
November 12, 2017
4,5 stars
I was happy to find Sanders and Tom again because I liked very much their last book of series . Also this story is written exceptionally well , with so much particulars and situations. I love ghosts stories and that in Shadows Watching is a beautiful and moving story in that more complex of Sanders and Tom's life story.
I love this series and I'm in awe when I read it and curious too because the topics are very interesting and emotionaly strong.
I was happy to find Sanders and Tom again because I liked very much their last book of series . Also this story is written exceptionally well , with so much particulars and situations. I love ghosts stories and that in Shadows Watching is a beautiful and moving story in that more complex of Sanders and Tom's life story.
I love this series and I'm in awe when I read it and curious too because the topics are very interesting and emotionaly strong.
August 10, 2018
This book was an emotional rollercoaster for me: it made me laugh, gave me warm squishy feelings and made me bawl my eyes out. I loved to see more of Sander and Tom - such unusual while lovable characters! - and am looking forward to the next book in this series, though probably not about those two. The ending kind of felt like an end to their story, but a good one, so I cannot be too sad about that.
August 17, 2017
Light bouncy romantic comedy with all the lolz.
Hahahaha yeah, no.
Voinov is an excellent, intense writer. This book was very good. Like the previous book in the series, there is some miserable dipping into an awful bit of history, but the MCs are fine at the end. Reading this book made me want to go back and reread the other books in the series.
Plus, the cat is excellent.
Hahahaha yeah, no.
Voinov is an excellent, intense writer. This book was very good. Like the previous book in the series, there is some miserable dipping into an awful bit of history, but the MCs are fine at the end. Reading this book made me want to go back and reread the other books in the series.
Plus, the cat is excellent.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 4, 2023
Loved it! 😍
I read both books in this 2 book series. I loved them both. The characters went through so much. It ended beautifully. Almost brought me to tears, just watery eyes it was that touching.
I read both books in this 2 book series. I loved them both. The characters went through so much. It ended beautifully. Almost brought me to tears, just watery eyes it was that touching.
August 25, 2017
Full review to come on the blog.
However, I found this very much a book of three parts, some worked better for me than others !
However, I found this very much a book of three parts, some worked better for me than others !
August 26, 2017
Full review to follow on the blog. All in all I enjoyed been back in the Witches universe: I did find parts of this book emotionally charged and others less so.
Read
June 27, 2020WHAT A BOOK TO READ IN MARCH OF 2020.
Seriously, though, the book is good. It's not the authors' fault that when they wrote it there was no need to include a content warning for global pandemics.
Seriously, though, the book is good. It's not the authors' fault that when they wrote it there was no need to include a content warning for global pandemics.
April 21, 2020
Remarkable story.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews